Machine for forming a cartridge from explosive gelatin.



1\ ro 869,307. PATENTED OCT. 29. 1907. G. P. JONES.

MACHINE FOR FORMING A CARTRIDGE FROM EXPLOSIVE GELATIN;

APPLICATION FILED H13. 9, 1907.

3 SHEETS-BHEET 1.

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a; ATTORNEY No. 869,307. PATENTED OCT. 29. 1907.

G.-P.JONBS.

MACHINE FOR FORMING ACARTRIDGB FROM EXPLOSIVE GELATIN.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. A TTOHNE) N0. 869,307. PATENTED 001. 29. 1907.

' e. P. JONES. MACHINE FOR FORMING A/GARTRIDGE PROM EXPLOSIVE GELATIN.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WM 5 I: z 1 a ATTORNEY ILlll APPLIUATION FILED FEB. 9, 1907.

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GEORGE POOLE JONES, OF EMPQRIUM, PENNSYLVANIA.

MACHINE FOR FORMING A CARTRIDGE FROM EXPLOSIVE GELATIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 29, 1907.

- Application filed February 9.1907. Serial No. 366.614.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE POOLE J ones, a citizen of the United States,residing at Emporium, county of Cameron, and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Forming aCartridge from Explosive Gelatin, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to machines for forming a continuous cartridgefrom explosive gelatin.

The manufacture of cartridges from explosive gelatin, which is a plasticsubstance of a consistency depending upon various conditions, isgenerally carried on by forcing it, under pressure, through a nozzlefrom which the gelatin emerges as a continuous rope, the diameter ofwhich may be from less than an inch to nearly twoinches, this rope beingcut into suitable lengths, usually about eight inches, after emergencefrom the nozzle, to thereby form the cartridges which are then suitablywrapped so as to be ready for commercial use.

Machines of the character set forth have usually employed a horizontalscrew, termed by skilled workers in explosives, a packing screw forforcing the explosive gelatiinthrough the nozzle, and associated withthis packing screw means have been employed to feed the plastic gelatinto the screw. It has heretofore been proposed to employ a feeder forcausing the gelatin to be fed to the packing screw, which will more orless automatically yield if the pressure of the feeder on the gelatinbecomes so great that further augmentation would render continuedoperation of the machine dangerous on account of the subjection of thegelatin to of the manufacture and maintenance of the machine isheightened. In machines of this character, it is desirable to be able toquickly regulate the action of the feeding mechanism so that asexplosive batches of the gelatin are introduced to the feedingmechanism, the 7 conditions of feed may be readily varied according tothe consistency of the gelatin and the observed action of the machine.So far as I am aware, rapid changes or variations in the feed inmachines of this character have not heretofore been possible, and I haveforone object of my invention the provision of a machine for forming acontinuous cartridge from explosive gelatin which has novel meanswhereby the feeding of the gelatin automatically regulates itselfaccording to requirements of extrusion and whereby the action of thefeeder on the gelatinmay be rapidly and easily controlled by theoperator according to the consistency of the explosive mass or todesired conditions of feed.

Another object is to provide means whereby a signal will be operatedwhen the pressure on the gelatin becomes so high as to be undesirable sothat the operator will be apprised of the fact that such conditionsexist.

' Another object is the provision of a safety appliance which willprevent undesirable pressures being maintained on the explosive gelatinon which the machine is operating.

I have for. a still further object the dispensing with gearing or suchrotating parts as tend to make the machine more dangerous and aim toprovide a generally simplified and cheapened construction.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the parts that theymay be readily detached or separated from each other to permit rapid andeasy cleaning of the machine when desired.

A still further object is to provide a hopperand feeder therein, in amachine of the class set forth, wherein novel means will be employed toprevent rotary motion with a horizontal packing screw if the user'forany reason wishes to employahorizontal packing screw, and i have setfoith fully hereinafter and disclosed in the drawings a machine whereina horizontal packing screw maybe employed in connection with my novelfeeding and other mechanisms.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a machine forforming a continuous cartridge from ex;

plosive gelatin, wherein a hopper will be employed with novel feedingmechanism therein, and a nozzle, of improved construction will beconnected directly to the hopper and the gelatin forced from the hopperthrough said nozzle to issue therefrom in a continuous cartridge.

Other objects of the invention will more fully appear hereinafter. p

The invention is set forth fully in the following specification, and thenovel features thereof are recited in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:-Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly insection, showing the present invention; Fig. 2, an elevation taken atthe right of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 3, aview on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a detail view of the hopper with theparts thereof shown separated; Fig. 5, a detail view of the nozzle; Fig.6, a detail view on line M of Fig. 1; Fig. 7, a side elevation, partlyin section, showing a modification employing a horizontal packing screw;Fig. 8, a view in elevation looking in the direction of the arrow ofFig. 7; and Fig. 9, a view of the lefthand side of the lower part of themachine shown in Fig. 7. looking in the direction of the arrow. i

The machine may be supported in any desired fashion, a satisfactoryarrangement being to place it upon a table 1' and to locate adjacent tosaid table, another table 2. whose top is located at a lower level.

The machine-frame comprises a bed-plate 3, a yokeupright 4 and a brace5. The yoke-,upright 4 is bolted at 7 to the yoke-upright, and the footof the brace isbolted at 8 to the bed-plate 3. This construction rendersmanufacture of the frame easy and relatively cheap and permits rapid andeasy assembly or separation of the frame parts.

The base-plate 3 has an extension 3 which overhangs the table 2 and isprovided with an opening 3) therethrough. I i

The numeral 9 designates a. nozzle, preferably waterjacketed at 10.which is curved so that it is adapted to deliverthe gelatin cartridgeissuing therefrom onto the table 2 in a substantiallyhorizontaldirection This nozzle!) is provided with a flange 11 which is held bybolts 12 to the under-side of the plate 3 so that the interior of thenozzle constitutes a continuation of the opening 3; g; I

Surmounting the base-plate 3 is a hopper composed of duplicate sections13, each of which has a base-flange 14, said base-flanges 1.4 beingheldby the bolts 12 so th at the lower part of the hopper interiorcommunicates with, and forms a continuation, of the opening 3 Eachhopper section 13 is provided with flanges 15 on its Opposite sideswhich are adapted to be frictionally clamped against the correspondingflanges on the other hopper section by the bolts and wing nuts 16 (Fig.3), ,said flanges and nuts having rubber packing.

The foregoing construction permits rapid and easy detachment of thenozzle and hopper whenever it is desired that they be removed or thefeeding mechanism inside of the hopper inspected or any of the partscleaned.

The interiors of the hopper sections 13 are provided with spirallyarranged ribs 17 which prevent the gelatin in the hopper from rotatingwith the feeding means and also assist the feeder in directing thegelatin to the op ening 3 and into the nozzle 9.

The upper part of the yoke-upright 4 is provided with substantiallyparallel horizontal arms 4, 4 and 4.

J ournaled in suitable bearings in the ends of the arms 4 and 4 is thefeeder shaft 18 which has splined there to in a loose fashion abelt-pulley 19 located between the arms 4" and 4. The splined connectionis shown at 20 and consists of a slot in the shaft 18 and a key orfeather carried by the belt-pulley l9 and received loosely in said slot.This permits the shaft 18 to slip up and down through the beltpulley,without causing the belt-pulley to rise or fall, to insure rotation ofthe shaft by the belt-pulley at all times.

The feeder comprises a shaft 21 having horizontal blades or paddles 22which are substantiallyelliptical in cross-section and are disposed withtheir faces at an angle to the length of the shaft 21; while formed onthe lower end of the shaft is a screw 23 of tapered formation whichextends through the opening 3 and into the nozzle 9. The shafts 18 and21 are detachably coupled together at 24, permitting rapid and easyremoval of the feeder when desired.

The upper end of the shaft 18 is provided with a plunger or piston 25and there is secured in a detachable manner to the arm 4", a cylinder 26in which the piston 25 plays. The engagement of the piston with thelower end of the cylinder 26 prevents the blades or paddles 22 and screw23 from striking the sides of the hopper or nozzle or touching any ofthe ribs 17, and to make it possible to properly position the parts,suitable fastening screws 27 hold the cylinder 26 in the socket. of arm4 in such fashion that the cylinder may be raised or lowered. I

Leading to the cylinder 26 is a pipe 28 having controlling valve 29 andpressure gage 30, which is put in communication with a source ofcompressed air so that the compressed air admitted to the cylinder 26forms an elastic cushion for the upward movement of the piston 25. Acasing containing pop-safcty-valve 3l is secured to the cylinder 26 andthis casing has attached thereto by suitable piping, a whistle 32.

The pop-safety valve 31 can be set to ogen at any given pressure, whichwill be the critical or maximum pressure, above which it is notdesirable to subject the gelatin in the hopper so that any higher airpressure in the cylinder 26 will be relieved and will escape through andsound the whistle 32.

The machine is driven from a countershaft 50 by a vertical shaft 51which is suitably journaled in bearings 52 and 53 on the machine-frame,bevel gears 54 communicating the rotation of shaft 50 to shaft 5], thelatter shaft carrying a belt-pulley 55 which is belted direct by belt 56to the pulley-19. A clutch and clutchlever 57 having suitable means 58for holding theclutch in released or locked disposition relative to thepulley 55, are employed to lock the pulley 55 to the shaft 5] or torelease it from said shaft, thus affording a means convenient for theoperator for starting or stopping the machine at will.

The explosive gelatin is introduced into the hopp'cr 13, 13, and is feddownwardly by the rotation of the blades or paddles 22, the direction ofrotation of the shaft 21 being such that the paddles move in thedirection of their highest edges which causes the gelatin to be presseddownward in the hopper, this downward action being assisted by thespiral ribs 17 which also tend to retard any rotary motion of the massof gelatin. The gelatin coming under the action of the screw23 isforcedinto the nozzle 9; whence it issues as a continuous cartridge which isdelivered in a substantial horizontal direction onto the table 2. Thetapcring form of the hopper, combined with the tapering screw 23 and thereduction in size of the nozzle toward its mouth, all tend to compressthe gelatin so that it will be properly compacted as it is forcedthrough the noz zle.

The continuous cartridge which is delivered on the table 2 is 'cut intoproper lengths, usually eight inches, and afterward wrapped forcommercial use.

If the feed of the gelatin or the pressure exerted thereon by thepaddles or screw becomes too great, the entire feeder, comprising theshaft 2], paddles 22, and screw 23, together with the shaft 18, willrise, slipping'loosely'through the belt-pulley 19, and thusautomatically relievetlie undesirable pressure, and in this risingaction the plunger 25 is cushioned elastically by the compressed aircontained in the cylinder 26 so that the yieIding action is -gentle.andyet sufiiciently rapid on this elastic cushion of air in the cylinder 26to'gently force down the feeder as the gelatin passes out of the nozzle9. As the feeder rises, the compression of the air in the cylinder 26becomes greater and the safety-valve 31 at once opens and relieves theextra pressure, while the air sounds the whistle 32 and notifies theoperator. The safety-valve will open and the whistle will be sounded atany time when the air pressure introduced via pipe 28 into cylinder 26becomes higher than it is desirable to have it, so that the action isentirely automatic under all "conditions. It will be understood that theshafts 18 and 21 continue their rotation regardless of the verticalposition of the feeder.

In the foregoing machinel dispense entirely with the horizontal packingscrew, its case, and the means for causing rotation of said screw, allof which have heretofore been employed and by employing the combinedfeeder and pressure screw 23 as attached rigidly to the shaft 21carrying paddles 22, the feed of and pressure upon the gelatin areregulated at the same time, and effects are'obtained which are notpossible where a horizontal and separate packing screw is employed.

The machine may be readily cleaned after the day's run, or at any time,by detaching the screws and nuts 16 and bolts 12, whereupon e hoppersections and nozzle may be completely removed, thus exposing the paddlesand screw.

As some users of the machine may wish to employ the old form ofhorizontal packing screw and case in connection with my improved feederand to dispense with the nozzle 9, I have illustrated in Figs. 7, 8 and9, a machine wherein a horizontal packing screw is employed as asupplemental feature.- In these figures it is unnecessary to describethe machine which hasbeen heretofore set forth, and reference will onlybe made to the additional elements therein appearing. In the machine ofFigs. 7, 8 and 9, the bed plate 3 has bearings 60 in which is journaledthe shaft 61 of packing screw 62, said shaft being provided with abeltpulley 63 which is belted direct by belt 64 to a beltpulley 65 oncountershaft 50. If desired, the pulley 63 may be a clutch-pulley with alever for throwing it into and out of action. The control of therotation of belt-pulley 55 ma be accomplished as heretofore set forth,or the gearing 54 may be'provided with a clutch 66 thrown into and outof action by a lever 67. In this machine the brace 5 is split toproperly accommodate the extra parts that are used. The packing screw 62is received in a lignum-vitae block 68 to the end of which is secured acollar 70, to which in turn is detachably fastened by bolts 69, a nozzle71. The block 68 is seated in ways 72 which permit it to he slidlongitudinally of the packing screw 62, entirely off of said packingscrew to expose the latter so that it may be readily cleaned withoutrequiring removal of the entire packing screw and its shaft 61 as hasheretofore been necessary. The hopper sections 13, 13, are detachablysecured by bolts 83 to the lignum-vitae' block, permitting detachment ofsaid'hopper sections from said block;

Except for the improved manner of sliding the lignumvitae block 68,collar 70', and 'ndzzle 71 bodily off of'the Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. In a machine for forming a cartridge from explosive gelatin, thecombination with a shell or case having a delivery mouth from which thegelatin is adapted'to issue, of means within the shell or case forforcing the gelatin through said mouth, and air cushion means adapted toyieldingly resist backward movement of the gelatin forcing means.

2. In a machine for forming a cartridge from explosive gelatin, thecombination with a shell or case having a delivery mouth from which thegelatin is adapted to issue, of rotary means within the shell or casefor forcing the gelatin through said mouth, and compressedairoperatedmeans adapted to yieldingly resist backward movement of the rotarygelatin forcing means.

3. In a machine for forming a cartridge from explosive gelatin, thecombination with a shell or case having a delivery mouth from which thegelatin is adapted to issue, of rotary means within the shell or casefor forcing the gelatin through said mouth, and a plunger and cylinderadapted to yieldingly resist backward movement of the rotary gelatinforcing means. 4 '4. In a machine for forminga cartridge from explosivegelatin, the combination with a shell or case having a delivery mouthfrom which the gelatin is adapted to issue, of rotary means within theshell or case for forcing the gelstin through said mouth, a plunger andcylinder, and means for introducing compressed air to the cylinderadapted to yieldingly resist backward movement of the rotary gelatinforcing means.

5. In a machine for forming a cartridge from explosive gelatin, thecombination with a shell or case having a delivery. mouth from which thegelatin is adapted to issue, of rotary means within the shell or casefor forcing the gelatin through said mouth, air cushion means adapted toyieldingly resist backward movement of the rotary gelatinforcing means,and a safety-valve for said air cushion means.

6. In a machine for forming a cartridge from explosive gelatin, thecombination with a. shell or case having a delivery mouth from which thegelatin is adapted to issue, of rotary means within the shell orcase forforcing the gelatin through said mouth, air cushion means adapted toyiel'dingly resist backward movement of the rotary gelatin forcingmeans, and a safety-valve and signal controlled thereby for said aircushion means. 7 7. In a machine for forming a cartridge from explosivegelatin, the combination with a shell or case having a delivery mouthfrom which the gelatin is adapted to issue, of rotary means within theshell or case for forcing the gelatin through said mouth,compressed-air-operated means adapted to yieldingly resist backwardmovement of the rotary gelatin forcing means, and a safety-valve forrelieving the air pressure from said compressed-air-operated means. 8.In a machine for forming a cartridge from explosive gelatin, thecombination with an upright shell or case having an exit mouth for thedelivery of the gelatin therethrough, of an upright shaft carryinggelatin forcing 'means located in the shell or case, and an air cushion4 adapted to yieldingly resist upward movement of said shaft and gelatinforcing means.

9,. In a machine for forming a cartridge from explosive gelatin, thecombination with an upright shell or case having an exit mouth for thedelivery of the gelatin there through, of an upright shaft carryinggelatin forcing &

means located in the shell or case, and compressed air ineans foryieldingly resisting upward movement of the shaft and rotary gelatinforcing means. I

10. In a machine for forming a cartridge from explosive gelatin, thecombination with an upright shell or case having an exit, mouth for thedelivery of the gelatin therethrough, of an upright shaft carryinggelatin forcing moans located in the shell or case, compressed air meansfor yieldingly resisting upward movement of the shaft and rotary gelatinforcing means comprising a plunger and cyl inder, and automatic meansfor relieving the compressed air pressure when necessary.

11. In a machine for forming a cartridge from explosive gelatin, thecombination with ways, and a hopper superposed thereon, of a hollow caseslidably seated on the ways under the hopper and adapted for slidableremoval, and gelatin forcing means located within the hollow removablecase. I

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

' GEORGE POOLE JONES.

Witnesses GRANT L. WILEY, J. C JOHNSON.

